A Thanksgiving to Remember
by HipHuggersFan09
Summary: My first FanFiction. What happens when Eric invites Calleigh to spend Thanksgiving with him and his family? Will circumstances finally force Eric and Calleigh to confront their feelings for each other? Takes place after 7.08 Gone Baby Gone. HipHuggers.
1. The Call

A Thanksgiving to Remember

Chapter 1: The Call

(Takes place after Season 7 Episode 8 (Gone Baby Gone))

Eric Pulled out of the parking lot and on to the main road. It had been a long hectic day at work. He sighed heavily as he remembers the day's events. It was a case unlike any other they had ever had. Instead of solving a murder, they worked to prevent one from happening. A 10-month old baby girl named Sophie was kidnapped from her mother, in broad daylight, outside of the mall. Eric hated when cases involved kids, especially babies. He could tell by the look on Calleigh's face when he left that it had gotten to her even more than maybe she wanted to admit. Eric pulled out his cell phone and pressed #1 on the Speed Dial. He smiled when heard Calleigh's voice on the other end. "Hey Eric, What's Up?" She asked cheerfully, even though Eric could hear a hint of sadness in her voice. "Nothing. I just wanted to check up on you. You seemed pretty upset when you left." He asked, concerned. "I'm fine Eric, really. I just really hate it when kids are involved in a case like that." She said sadly. "I know. What do you say I come over and we can just hang out? Maybe watch a movie or something?" Eric asked, hoping she would say yes. "Ok.", Calleigh replied cheerfully. "Great. I have to run a few errands but I can be there in half an hour, Cal." He replied, a huge grin spread across his face. "Ok." Calleigh replied, as a smile crept across her face as she hung up the phone.


	2. Bringing Flowers

Chapter 2: Bringing Flowers

Half an hour later, Eric pulled up to the main door of Calleigh's apartment building. Parked the door and made his way into the building and up to the fifth floor. He had been to her apartment before, a few times. The first time was early in his career at MDPD, when he needed somewhere to stay overnight. The last time he was there was three years ago for the company Christmas Party. Even though they were in Miami, Christmas was always a very special occasion. Calleigh had spent all night decorating the apartment and making it look nice. He walked up to the door and knocked softly. He smiled as she opened the door. She was still in her work clothes. After making small talk for a while about unimportant things, Eric excused himself for a moment. "Cal. I have to go to my car for a second I forgot to grab my phone on my way in. I'll be right back." He looked at her nervously, although se didn't seem to notice. "Ok. I'll leave the door unlocked." Eric made his way down the elevator and out to his car. He hated lying. Especially to Calleigh, but he knew she would forgive him when he returned. He opened the passenger side door and grabbed the bag of things he got while doing errands. He made his way back up to her apartment and once again knocked lightly on the door. "Sorry. I thought I had…" she stopped when she saw Eric holding the most beautiful bouquet of yellow Roses. "What..." she said, completely shock and puzzled. "You said girls love flowers. Plus, I knew you were upset. And when I found these, I knew they were meant for you." She looked into his eyes "Thank You." She whispered. She made her way into the kitchen to find a vase, and Eric sat down on the couch. He opened that bag as Calleigh sat down next to him. "I also brought movies", he said pulling out a few movies from the bag. "Whatever you're in the mood for, I probably have it." She laughed as he displayed each one individually as if he were Vanna White. He had everything from Romance, to Comedy, even an Action Adventure movie. "Or" He said with a smile. "If you're not in the mood, I also brought stuff for ice cream sundaes." He said showing her the remaining contents of the bag. "After the day we've had, Ice Cream sounds like the perfect thing." Calleigh went into the kitchen and grabbed two large cereal bowls. They laughed and joked with one another as they each made their own sundae, admiring (and critiquing) each others choices of topping.


	3. An Invitation

Chapter 3: An Invitation

After the ice cream sundaes were gone and their sides hurt from laughing so hard (and eating too much ice cream). Eric turned and faced Calleigh, looking her in the eyes. "Calleigh I was wondering…" he said nervously "I mean if you aren't busy…and you don't already have plans. I mean I understand that its short notice..." He looked down nervously, "What is it Eric" Calleigh asked, almost laughing, "Would you like to join me for Thanksgiving this year?" He asked nervously. "Yeah. I'd like that." She replied, looking him in the eyes. "Usually I go to my parents in Louisiana. But they decided to take a vacation to California and my brother and his family are going to visit his wife's family in Boston this year, so I was planning on staying in."

"Great!" Eric said excitedly. "Every year my family goes all out for Thanksgiving. It's the one time except for Christmas that we're all together as a family. All my sisters and their families came home. My mom is an unbelievable cook. She studied Culinary Arts in College. She had planned on opening her own restaurant, but when I was born, her plans changed. The need of her son took priority over her dreams." Calleigh looked at him surprised. "Your family?" She asked. "Yeah." He said with a bit of a chuckle. "Where did you think I was spending Thanksgiving?" "I…I don't know, I thought you maybe meant just you and me, and maybe Ryan and Natalia." Calleigh said nervously. Eric was bringing her to meet his family. She knew all about them, but in all the years she had known Eric she had never met his family, except for his sister, Marisol. "You ok Cal? You're not nervous are you?" He asked resting a hand on her knee. She looked him in the eyes. "Calleigh Duquesne. Nervous about meeting new people? Well, that's a first. Listen everything is going to be fine. If they are anything like me at all then they're gonna love you." He leaned over and wrapped her up in a big hug. "Well, It's getting late I should head home." Eric said with a smile. Calleigh walked him to the door and closed it behind him as he walked down the hall to the elevator. Calleigh rested her head on the door and exhaled heavily thinking of the days to come. She smiled as she remembered what Eric had said moments earlier: "_If they are anything like me at all then they're gonna __love__ you._"


	4. Arrival

Chapter 4: Arrival

Two days later, on Wednesday night, Eric pulled up to Calleigh's apartment and helped her load her luggage into the back of the car next to his. His mom lived in Miami, but they planed on staying over night so that they could help with preparations in the morning. Eric was also taking Calleigh to meet some of his other relatives who lived in the area. They would be coming back on Friday night or Saturday morning, depending on how things went.

Once he and Calleigh were all set, he pulled out of the lot and began the short drive from Calleigh's Apartment to His mom's house on the other side of town. Thirty minutes later he pulled the car into the driveway and he and Calleigh walked side by side up to the front door. He looked at Calleigh as he rang to doorbell. A moment later they were greeted by Eric's mom. She was a small woman in her early to mid fifties. She had a tan complexion and dark hair, just like Eric. She even had the same bright smile. Eric was definitely his mother's son. "Hi, mom." Eric said, stepping through the door and giving her a hug. "This is my friend Calleigh Duquesne. Calleigh this is my mom." "Oh. It's so nice to finally meet you. Eric talks about you all the time." Eric's mom said smiling. Calleigh looks surprisingly at Eric out of the corner of her eye "It nice to properly put a face to a name." "Same here." Calleigh replied, still a little surprised.

A little while later, they sit down to a beautiful dinner and spend much of the evening talking about work, family, among other things. Around eleven o'clock, Calleigh excused herself and began getting ready for a good night sleep and set out her things for the morning while Eric and his mom continued catching up with each other.


	5. Talking with Mom

Chapter 5: Talking with Mom

_Meanwhile while Calleigh is getting ready for bed_

"I'm glad to hear that things are going well at work." Eric's mom says while clearing off the coffee table in the living room. "Yeah. You know after the shooting, I knew things would never be the same at work. Calleigh has really helped me out a lot. Everyone at work has been really great. But the shooting really scared her. I've never seen her as scared as she was when she was with me in the hospital." He paused for a moment. "After the shooting it really made me stop and think, you know, appreciate the simple things in life, appreciate the special people in my life." Eric's mom looked at him out of the corner of her eye. "People like Calleigh?" She asked with a smile. Eric looked down smiling as his mom walks into the kitchen. "Yeah."


	6. Early Morning Chat

Chapter 6: Early Morning Chat

Eric rolled over to look at the clock as he heard the sliding glass door leading onto the back deck creak. He knew that it wasn't a break in because he was sure he had locked it before he headed off to bed only a few hours earlier. It was four thirty in the morning. Knowing that he would have a difficult time falling back to sleep he pulled off the covers just to see who it was that was up at this time in the morning. He smiled when looked through the glass door and Saw Calleigh standing on the back deck, facing the back yard. She was wearing pink and red striped pajama bottoms and a solid light pink long sleeve top. Her long blonde hair was tied back loosely in a ponytail. He slowly walked out onto the deck and stood silently next to Calleigh who was staring off into the distance deep in though. "What are you doing up? It's four thirty." He asked quietly. "Nothing" Calleigh replied, looking down at her hands. "Couldn't sleep. Sometimes when I'm home by myself and I have a lot on my mind I'll go outside and just think." "Thinking about anything in particular?" He asked. "Actually yes. Earlier when we arrived you mom said something that I can't stop thinking about." She says finally looking up at him. "What's that?" He asked, a small smile crept across his face. "When you introduced me to her she said that you talk about me all the time." She looked Eric square in the eyes. "I remember." Eric said quickly looking back out into the yard. "It's nothing really. I told her that I was bringing a friend from work with me for Thanksgiving. She asked if it was my partner, and I told her that it was. She asked me what you were like, and I told her that I have the best partner I guy could ever ask for." He said looking into her eyes. "That she's one of the smartest, bravest, most dedicated people I know, and that she is the one person who I can always turn to no matter what." "That's sweet." She whispered, a little surprised by how highly Eric spoke of her to his mother. "Well," Eric said rubbing his hand across his forehead, "We should try getting some sleep. Sweet Dreams" Eric leaned in and kissed Calleigh softly on the cheek before heading back inside the house. "You too." Calleigh whispered with a smile once Eric was inside the house.


	7. Thanksgiving Toast

Chapter 7: Thanksgiving Toast

It was now Four o'clock the next afternoon. Calleigh and Eric had spent the day helping his mom prepare for the other guests who were supposed to arrive at four thirty. Eric's three sisters were all coming over. Eric's younger sister Maria was bringing her boyfriend Josh, his older sister Annemarie was bringing her friend Anthony, and his sister Sophia who was sixteen months older than him was coming from all the way from Texas with her husband Ted and five year old daughter Emily. Eric introduced Calleigh to everyone. Emily was immediately drawn to Calleigh. Eric smiled as he watched Calleigh and Emily playing on the floor in the loving room with the dolls that Emily had brought with her. A little while later they all moved into the kitchen for dinner. Eric sat at the head of the table and carved the turkey while the ladies passed around the side dishes.

Towards the end of the meal when there seemed to be a break in the conversations, Eric tapped his glass lightly with the back of his knife and stood to address everyone. "It's a tradition in the Delko household that at Thanksgiving dinner one member of the family gives the Thanksgiving Toast." He glanced at Calleigh out of the corner of his eye. He could see her cheeks beginning to turn a light shade of pink and her eyes widen. "Whoever said that life isn't always easy, I would first like to say to them that, that is an understatement." Everyone laughed." But there are those in our lives that are always there for us no matter what the situation. They are there for us in our weakest, most powerless moments and they are also there to celebrate all of the success, not matter how small they may be." Calleigh could see Eric's eyes being to get glassy as he continued. "They are there for us when we want to talk or just when we need someone to listen to us. They are there for you when those who are closest to you can't be with you." He looked up at his mom, who was already dabbing her eyes with a napkin. "They are family. Though not related by blood they are there when you need them the most." He turned and looked straight at Calleigh as he tried to blink away tears. "Calleigh has been there for me through it all." He paused talking a deep breath. "Words can't even begin to describe how thankful I am to have her in my life. She is not only my partner and my colleague; she is also my best friend. She's the best partner a person could ask for. If you asked me what I'm thankful for this year I would say I'm thankful for my family. To family!" Eric looked straight into Calleigh's eyes. Everyone applauded and touched glasses as Eric went to sit down. Calleigh stood and stopped him. She wrapped her arms around his waist and kissed him softly on the lips. "I love you, Eric." She whispered. "I love you too, Cal." He smiled. For the rest of the evening they couldn't take their eyes off each other. This would definitely be a Thanksgiving to remember.


End file.
